André Nel, M.B., ChB; Ph.D., is a Professor of Medicine and Chief of the Division of NanoMedicine at UCLA. He runs the Cellular Immunology Activation Laboratory in the Johnson Cancer Center and the Laboratory for Nanosafety Research and Testing in the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) at UCLA.

Dr. Nel obtained his M.B., Ch.B. (MD) and Doctorate of Medicine (PhD equivalent) degrees from the University of Stellenbosch in Cape Town, South Africa, and subsequently did Clinical Immunology and Allergy training at UCLA. Dr Nel is the Principal Investigator of the UCLA Asthma and Immunology Disease Center, Co-Director of the Southern California Particle Center and Director of the UC Lead Campus Program for Nanotoxicology Research and Training. Dr Nel served a Chair of a study section at the NIAID and is Chair of the Air Pollution Committee in the AAAAI. Dr. Nel is a member of the ASCI, AAAAI, AAI and the Western Association of Physicians.

Dr. Nel’s chief research interests are: (i) Nanomedicine and Nanobiology, including nanomaterial properties that lead to biocompatible and biohazardous interactions in humans and the environment; (ii) The role of air pollutants in asthma, with particular emphasis on the role of ultrafine particle-induced oxidative stress in the generation of airway inflammation and airway hyperreactivity. The theme of oxidative stress as a test paradigm for nanomaterial hazard and as a predictive paradigm for initiating high throughput toxicological assessment of nanomaterials links these research aspects together. The research is funded by personal RO1 grants from the NIH, the NIAD-funded Asthma and Immunology Disease Clinical Research Center, an EPA STAR award, a UC Lead Campus Program for Nanotoxicology Research.

Representative publications:

Li N, Xia T, Nel AE. The role of oxidative stress in ambient particulate matter-induced lung diseases and its implications in the toxicity of engineered nanoparticles.

Free Radic Biol Med. 2008 44, 1689-1699.

Xia T, Kovochich M, Brant J, Hotze M, Sempf J, Oberley T, Sioutas C, Yeh JI, Wiesner MR, Nel AE. Comparison of the abilities of ambient and manufactured nanoparticles to induce cellular toxicity according to an oxidative stress paradigm. Nano Lett. 2006 6, 1794-1807.

Nel A, Xia T, Mädler L, Li N. Toxic potential of materials at the nanolevel. Science. 2006 311, 622-627.

CNSI UCLA Website

CNSI NanoToxicology

Representative Publications